Painting royaltyDwight Elementary School first graders took a field trip Thursday morning to Paint With Lane at the Russellville City Mall where the girls painted princesses and the boys painted princes.

Shoptaw remains on commissionThe Pope County Election Commission’s (PCEC) reappointment of members is now complete after a shift in power from the November general election forced the commission to change from one Republican representative to two and from two Democratic representatives to one. Carol Shoptaw returned as the commission’s Democratic representative and joins Republican representatives Portia Short and Freddie Harris, as well as Election Coordinator Sherry Pol...

Church briefs (Feb. 13, 2015)Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention The Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the First Freewill Baptist Church in Atkins. A potluck lunch will be served. For more information, call (501) 662-4535. Mt. Vernon WAC Snap Jewelry Party The Mt. Vernon WAC (Women Active for Christ) will host a Snap Jewelry Party from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Ts Beads, Inc. and Boutique will be at the Matthew Center ...

How does a person come to recognize sin?We noted last week that a person must know three things to live and die in the joy of belonging to Jesus Christ. According to one of the Protestant Reformers, the first of these is “how great my sin and misery are.” That said, how does a person come to recognize his or her sin and misery? In fact, what do those words even mean? That’s hard to know because of how our society has played Humpty Dumpty with the word “sin.” Everyone has heard of Le...

The nature of loveIt is almost St. Valentine’s Day; the day we celebrate love. I will leave it to others to provide extensive information regarding the great saint of the church whose name is joined to this celebration. It is enough to say he was a saint. What made the third century Roman churchman so famous, so connected to the word “Love?” If I Google St. Valentine, I find very little is actually known about him. But there must have been some great widely acc...

Yell approves two budget ordinancesDANVILLE — The Yell County Quorum Court approved two ordinances related to its general budget on Monday at the Yell County Courthouse. Yell County Judge Mark Thone said an ordinance to amend the 2013 county general budget and the 2015 county general budget were approved. “Both were passed,” Thone said. “One closed out last year, and the other was a basic ordinance about the budget for this year.” In the ordinance concerning the 2013 budget, th...

Orbit Lane Trail to open in AprilThe Russellville Recreation and Parks Commission discussed the opening of Orbit Lane Trail during its meeting Tuesday at the Hughes Center. Director Mack Hollis said the trail is nearly complete and will be open to the public in April. "It's pretty much ready to use now, but it's not completed. We still have about 1,700 feet to set up and asphalt. I've contacted a company about putting a stripe down the middle," Hollis said. "I would think it ...

Aldermen hear about unsightly properties, catsATKINS — First-term Alderman Stephen “Bro” Price told the Atkins City Council on Tuesday that he is “sickened” every time he drives out of and comes into town. “It definitely looks bad for our city, I think,” he said about homes and properties located at 1007 W. Main Street (U.S. Highway 64 West) and 509 Southwest 1st Street. “There’s a lot more in this city, but that would be a start.” Alderwoman Joann Spence told Price the first thing to do ...

Obituary: May Belle GrayMORRILTON — May Belle (Granny) Gray, 84, of Morrilton passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015. May Belle was born May 18, 1930, in Muskogee, Okla., a daughter to the late Neil Buie and Bertha Watson Buie. Granny as called by everyone attended Pottsville Assembly of God Church, and she was a Bowling League Coordinator in Little Rock for many, many years. She was an avid bowler, loved to fish, loved Jesus, an expert baby rocker, dedicated prayer...

Obituary: Billy WalkerBilly Walker, 70, of Dover went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, at his home in Dover with family by his side. The son of Charley and Mildred Kenner Walker, he was born March 24, 1944, in Russellville. He married Margie Walker on Jan. 31, 1975, at Dover. Billy was a truck driver, having driven for G. Ray Baker, Tyson Live Haul and Poultry Farmers. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends and four-wheeling with the guys. ...

Obituary: Jessie BlakeJessie Malone Blake, 106, of Atkins, formerly of Dardanelle, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, at Atkins Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Atkins. The daughter of Robert Lee and Matilda Elizabeth Wilson Malone, she was born May 29, 1908, in the London Mountain Community. After her mother’s death when she was very young, she was raised by her loving stepmother, Addie Duvall Malone of Russellville. She spent most of her early life in P...

Russellville man dies days after rollover crashLITTLE ROCK — A Pope County man died Wednesday from injuries he sustained in a Monday night crash Monday in Johnson County. James Carlton Miller Davis, 22, of Russellville was driving east on U.S. Highway 64 near the intersection with State Highway 359 in Lamar shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when the vehicle went out of control, according to a police report. Arkansas State Police reported Davis then "over-corrected and began to rollover." Davis...

News Briefs (Feb. 13, 2015)St. John School Valentine’s Dance St. John Catholic School will host a Valentine’s Day dinner, dance and casino night at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the St. John Catholic School Hall. A complete dinner will be served along with a dessert table and drinks. Following dinner, there will be the Knights of Columbus Monte Carlo gaming and then a live band dance featuring the ATU professors band, Middle Dog. Various prizes will be given away and all procee...

House would require teaching of cursive writingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — All Arkansas public schools would have to teach cursive writing beginning this fall under a proposal endorsed by the House Thursday over the objection of some lawmakers who said it is no longer needed to be successful in a technology-dominated world. If the measure passes the Senate and is signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas would join a handful of states that have forced elementary students to learn the swirling, flowin...

House panel endorses hair braiding billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — African-style hair braiders could practice without a cosmetology license in Arkansas under legislation that was unanimously endorsed Thursday by a state House committee. The legislation stems from a federal lawsuit that accuses the state of unfairly singling out braiders, who say required courses for cosmetology licenses in in Arkansas don't cover their craft and can cost up to $20,000. They currently face fines if they prac...

House panel OKs bill on arming teachers, staffLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to allow school districts to arm teachers, administrators and staff as guards is heading to the Arkansas House for a vote. The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday advanced a Senate-backed bill to abolish the Arkansas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies and put its duties under the State Police. The bill is in response to the board's 2013 decision to allow 13 districts to continue for two...

Senate votes to ban telemedicine abortionsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Senate voted Thursday to require physicians be present when the abortion pill is given, a move to further restrict the procedure in a state that approved a pair of the strictest bans in the country two years ago. The Senate approved by a 29-4 vote legislation which would bar the use of telemedicine such as videoconferencing to administer abortion-inducing medication. The proposal heads to the House, which has al...

Superstition times 3: 2015 calendar has 3 Friday the 13thsLACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Get ready for superstition — times three. Friday is the first of three Friday the 13ths this year. Each year has at least one Friday the 13th, but there can be as many as three. 2012 was the last year with three Friday the 13ths; the next will be 2026. Here's a look at the mysterious date through the eyes of a numerals-obsessed educator who calls himself Professor 13; a British journalist moving her family to a new ...

Aldermen discuss manager, O Street sidewalk projectMorgan Barrett of Barrett and Associates knows a thing or two about how important a construction manager can be to the success of a project. Barrett, also a member of the Russellville School Board, pointed out that hiring a construction manager for the new high school gym project, which totaled $12.5 million, has made it a very successful project. “The selection of a construction manager is based on qualifications,” Barrett told the Russellvil...

Talkington trial moved to April 8-10The murder trial of a Pope County man accused of killing his cousin in Knoxville that was initially scheduled to begin Thursday was postponed until April 8-10, Johnson County District Attorney Bruce Wilson said. Nathaniel Talkington, 26, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 1 death of his cousin, Caleb, 23. He was taken into custody Nov. 5 in Morrilton when officers were notified he had an arrest warrant during a tr...